"I'm sorry about that Gretchen," Sienna apologized.
"It's not a problem," Gretchen replied.
"She's seen young children on the playground but they've always been able to play," Sienna explained.
"I understand," Gretchen said, nodding slightly.
"Really?" Sienna asked.
Gretchen nodded, "The closest cousins to her age are Xavier and Fred."
"They always play a bit rough," Sienna said.
"They are boys," Gretchen reminded her.
"It doesn't matter" Sienna returned.
Gretchen had to gently point out, "Boys play differently than girls."
"It's not right. Phineas constantly tells me about when he was younger. Isabella and her Fireside troop came over all the time," Sienna said.
Gretchen nodded, "We did, we were also trying to get patches. Being a member of the Fireside Girls isn't for the faint of heart."
"Really?"
"Yeah. We have gone places that most wouldn't dare to go," Gretchen replied.
"Like?" Sienna prompted.
"Inside Teenaged Candace's mind...I was eaten by her Id," Gretchen answered, while making a mental note to bury that memory.
"You mean that you had a long talk with her," Sienna said, confused.
"No, we were mentally linked into her mind," Gretchen clarified.
"That's impossible," Sienna gaped.
Gretchen smiled, "You should talk to Phineas about that."
"He mentioned going to Mars," Sienna said.
"Yup, Ferb and him did that, though it was to retrieve Candace," Gretchen replied.
"How about the racecar or the monster truck?" Sienna asked.
"We were the pitcrew for the racecar. As for the Monster Truck, it was to help Candace learn to parallel park," Gretchen replied, tapping her chin as she tried to recall that eventful summer.
"Is that why he is so successful now?" Sienna inquired.
"Could be. Phineas has always been a dreamer," Gretchen returned.
"What about Ferb?" Sienna asked, as she never heard the British man make any talk about past projects.
"Ferb is more of a realist," Gretchen answered.
"Phineas told me he's had a job since he was fourteen," Sienna said, her brow furrowing slightly.
Gretchen nodded, "He's developed several automotive advancements, among other things."
"I bet he's relaxed about becoming a father," Sienna remarked.
Gretchen shook her head, "He's nervous, he feels he's not ready."
"He was so good with Lillian when she was younger," Sienna returned, surprised.
"It's different," Gretchen said.
"How so?" Sienna prompted.
"Lillian isn't his," Gretchen pointed out.
Alexander started to whimper.
"Come on sweetie, give me a few minutes," Gretchen said, gently rocking the newborn.
"You get a few minutes for a while yet," Sienna remarked with a slight smile.
"He's a good baby," Gretchen replied.
Sienna tilted her head slightly as Alexander let out a small cry.
Gretchen cuddled him and kissed his forehead, "He was fed and changed just before you arrived."
"Sometimes babies just like cuddles," Sienna said.
Gretchen smiled, "I can do that."
"Who do you think he looks like?" Sienna inquired.
"I can see some of Ferb in him," Gretchen replied, her eyes tracing over the features that she saw in the love of her life.
"I see a lot of Phineas in Lillian," Sienna stated.
"She does have the same charismatic nature Phineas has," Gretchen said.
"You think so?" Sienna asked.
"Definitely. She also has his curiosity, and spark for life," Gretchen answered.
"Lillian used to cry all the time. Alexander doesn't seem to cry too much," Sienna noted.
"He is only a few hours old, we will see what happens as time goes on," Gretchen pointed out.
"She did mellow out as she got a little older," Sienna admitted.
"That's good," Gretchen said.
"She's very active though," Sienna continued.
"As was Phineas...sometimes people swore he had ADD," Gretchen remarked. (1)
Sienna was shocked, "Really... You would never guess."
"He would become hyperfocused on tasks. I don't know how Ferb managed," Gretchen explained.
"They are brothers, they know each other," Sienna pointed out.
"They are step-brothers. They met when they were four years old," Gretchen corrected.
"Was Ferb always anti-social?" Sienna asked.
"Ferb isn't anti-social, he is introverted," Gretchen defended her husband.
"Does he always observe?" Sienna asked.
"Pretty much."
"Why?"
Gretchen shrugged, "That's just who he is."
"Isn't that annoying?" Sienna inquired.
"Not really," Gretchen replied.
"Phineas couldn't stand that. He'd want to do something and Ferb wouldn't," Sienna remarked, recalling a conversation that she once had with the red-headed inventor.
"Ferb is better at small projects or details. Phineas was generally big and fun," Gretchen stated.
"How were they able to work on anything together?" Sienna inquired, truly curious to the fact.
"They're brothers in every essence of the word. You should know as well as I do, siblings don't always get along," Gretchen replied simply.
"I don't get it," Sienna said.
"Phineas, being the boisterous one, got everyone excited for his plan. Ferb knew that if he didn't help him out, it would fail. Ferb would, on purpose, fade into the background... just so Phineas could enjoy the spotlight," Gretchen explained.
"That doesn't seem fair," Sienna noted.
"Neither really complained about the arrangement," Gretchen replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders, noting that she was guilty of the same thing when it came to some of the achivements the Fireside Girls had done, especially when Isabella's mind would wander.
"Phineas said that Ferb is doing quite well in his current job," Sienna said, changing the subject.
Gretchen nodded, "He is."
"And he works with your father?" Sienna asked.
"Different departments. Ferb's in R&D and Dad's in Legal," Gretchen replied with a slight shrug.
"What exactly does Ferb do?" Sienna inquired, as it was never clear to her what Ferb's job was.
"Technically, he's an engineer," Gretchen answered.
"What does 'technically' mean?" Sienna asked.
"Ferb also does computer programming," Gretchen answered, as she mentally went through the numerous degrees she knew he husband held.
"He's a software engineer?" Sienna inquired.
"He's got five different engineering degrees," Gretchen replied.
Sienna's jaw dropped.
"He does a variety of things for the company he works for," Gretchen explained, stifling a laugh at Sienna's expression.
"Doesn't he work at a desk?" Sienna asked.
"Two days a week, most of the time he's on-site," Gretchen replied.
"On-site of what?" Sienna inquired.
"Building sites, automotive plants, wherever he's needed. Sometimes his contracts have him working with Phineas, but those are few and very far between," Gretchen said, ticking off several of Ferb's past projects.
Sienna was speechless.
"He's even been asked by the local technical college to teach, he's turned them down though," Gretchen added.
"Why?" Sienna asked.
"He doesn't have much patience for people who can't grasp a particular concept," Gretchen replied with a slight shake of her head.
"Oh," Sienna said.
"I understand why he would have some frustrations," Gretchen said, recalling a few frustrations she had within her own job.
"There seems to be something that has people talking...here that is," Sienna said, changing the subject again, remembering seeing some of the staff members speaking in low tones in the hallways.
Gretchen raised an eyebrow.
"Older staff members, do you have any idea?" Sienna asked.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Gretchen replied with a slight shake of her head.
"You work here, you must have some idea," Sienna pressed.
"I've been on leave for about three weeks now. So I haven't the foggiest," Gretchen returned, even though having a vauge idea on what it might be.
"Seriously?" Sienna asked.
Gretchen nodded.
"I thought these things were a constant," Sienna mused aloud.
"Not usually," Gretchen replied.
The door opened, and Jen came in.
"I've just finished my shift, how are you feeling now?" Jen asked Gretchen.
"Fine, I think I'm starting to get used to the idea," Gretchen replied with a smile.
Jen nodded, "That's good."
"Jen, this is Sienna, She marrying Phineas, my brother-in-law, soon," Gretchen said.
"Nice to meet you," Jen said pleasantly.
"One of Gretchen's co-workers, right?" Sienna asked.
"Yes," Jen replied then turned to Gretchen, "Where'd Ferb go?"
"Shane took him out," Gretchen replied.
Jen shook her head, "Ferb doesn't seem the type to go out with the guys."
"He's not opposed to the idea. I just hope they don't get him intoxicated," Gretchen said.
Jen gave a knowing nod.
"You know they won't allow him back up if he is," Gretchen remarked, slightly worried.
"I'm sure Percy will put a stop to it," Jen replied.
Gretchen nodded, "Yeah he would."
"Ferb's usually responsible isn't he?" Sienna inquired.
"He's been known to let loose on occasion. The birth of his son might be such an occasion," Gretchen replied.
"Maybe you should text him a reminder," Jen suggested.
"I'll do that," Gretchen said then pulled her phone out of the bag that Ferb brought form home.
Phineas came back in with Lillian as Gretchen finished her text.
"You have a good walk?" Gretchen asked.
"I believe so," Phineas replied.
"Where did you go?" Sienna asked.
"We took the elevator to the different floors there are nine different floors, did you know that?" Lillian asked her mother.
"No, I didn't honey," Sienna replied.
"Some of them smelled funny," Lillian stated.
"The mixture of cleaning product and rubbing alcohol," Phineas elaborated.
"I hope you stayed away from the Psychiatric Ward and the Burn Unit," Gretchen remarked, a serious expression coming across her face.
"Where's the Burn Unit?" Phineas asked.
Jen and Gretchen answered together, "Fifth floor."
"We never left the elevator," Phineas said.
"That should be fine. You would have been told otherwise," Jen said.
"Why do people need to go there?" Lillian asked.
Jen bent down to her level, "Some people get hurt very bad in a fire and need lots of help."
"Mommy just uses a tube of stuff when Daddy touches the stove," Lillian said.
"A lot of people who have to go there get burned worse that your Daddy would. And more than just their hands," Jen explained gently.
"Okay..." Lillian said.
"You seem more relaxed now Gretch," Phineas noted.
"I'm not sure if that because I'm exhausted or I'm finding today to be completely surreal," Gretchen replied.
Jen laughed, "Probably both."
Phineas looked at Sienna, "I remember you were tired, but you didn't mention anything about a surreal feeling."
"That would be because Lillian was four days late. We were anxious for her arrival," Sienna pointed out.
Phineas nodded, "That she was."
"Eleven Twelve PM," Gretchen said.
"Didn't you wake quite a few of your family members Phineas?" Sienna asked.
"Almost all of them, the only two who I didn't were Dad and Gretchen," Phineas replied.
"That's because I was working nights," Gretchen pointed out.
"Right, I took the elevator with you while I was trying to find coffee," Phineas said.
"Yeah, I told you to get one from the cafeteria because it would taste better," Gretchen replied.
"You visited when you were on break," Sienna said.
Gretchen nodded.
"Where were you working that night?" Sienna asked.
"I was working with Jen and Shane..." Gretchen replied.
"Were you working on the maternity floor?" Sienna inquired.
"I'm seldom on the Maternity Ward. I'm usually in ER, surgery or pediatrics," Gretchen explained.
"That's not always a given though, we can be shuffled to wherever we're needed," Jen added.
Gretchen nodded.
"Have you ever worked any of the other wards?" Sienna asked.
"A few times," Gretchen replied.
"I noticed that all the nurses in this ward are women," Phineas said.
"Male Nurse can't look after Female Patients and Female Nurses can't look after Male Patients," Jen said.
"Why's that? My physician is a man," Sienna asked.
"It's the legalities of the system. Your physician has a receptionist in the office when you're being seen," Jen explained.
"True," Sienna said.
"Isn't your physician a man as well Gretch?" Phineas asked.
"Yes, but he's also my co-worker. There's still a receptionist though," Gretchen replied.
"Hold on, Didn't Gretchen keep an eye on Ferb when he had his heart attack?" Phineas inquired.
"Yes," Jen replied.
"Well wasn't that against the rules?" Phineas asked.
"Technically I was never assigned so..." Gretchen trailed off.
"You were also off shift, therefore you were just a concerned wife visiting her husband," Jen added.
"That sounds like a gray area," Phineas noted.
"Husbands and fathers are allowed on the maternity floor," Sienna said.
"There are plenty of gray areas that we keep from the general populous," Jen said.
"All right," Phineas said.
"That's why generally Doctors and Nurse do make for-" Gretchen began.
"Because we know protocol...You were a well behaved patient when Eric admitted you for observation," Jen interrupted.
"I'm hungry. I'm bored. I want to go home," Lillian spoke up.
"Lillian, that's not nice. We're here to visit Aunt Gretchen," Sienna admonished.
"We visited, I want to go home," Lillian said, a slight whine in her voice.
Phineas checked his watch, "It is getting late and we've not had dinner yet."
"I suggest the little sandwich shop across the street," Gretchen said.
"Are you sure?" Phineas asked, catching the underlying tone to his Sister-in-law's suggestion.
"Yeah. You should probably be getting her to bed right?" Gretchen replied.
Sienna nodded, "It is a school night."
"There's always time to visit tomorrow. And I am now on Maternity Leave so I will be at home for a while," Gretchen said.
Phineas kissed Gretchen on the cheek, "Congratulations."
Gretchen smiled, "Thank you Phineas."
Sienna hugged Gretchen, "Congratulations, I'll stop by after I get Lillian off to school tomorrow."
Gretchen hugged her back, and smiled, "Thank you, see you tomorrow."
Phineas, Sienna and Lillian left Gretchen and Jen in the room.